South Park is an American, Emmy Award-winning animated television comedy series about four third/fourth-grade school boys who live in the small town of South Park , Colorado. The series was created and is written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and has been distributed and aired by Comedy Central since 1997. It is well-known for its handling of current events and its pop-culture parody. Since its premiere on August 13, 1997, 160 episodes have been created and animated for eleven seasons. One more season is planned, with an option for renewal at the end of Season 12. In recent years, each season has been aired in two halves, in Spring and in Autumn.